Byte and Switch Insider Reports on Data Classification, Search, and Management Software

IT pros are rethinking how they organize information

PRNewswire
NEW YORK
Dec 19, 2005

Data volumes are growing by double digits yearly. Storage infrastructures now comprise multiple sites, technologies, and file formats interconnected by large SANs. Yet in many organizations, what's actually stored in a company's archives remains a mystery -- one that must be solved for an organization to function successfully.

"There is little intelligence about the precise information that server hard disks or tape libraries actually contain. There's also little to indicate whether it is worth keeping. And locating information that fits specific parameters can be difficult and time-consuming," says Martin Courtney, author of the latest report from the subscription research service Byte and Switch Insider (http://www.byteandswitch.com/insider), Mapping the Labyrinth: Classification, Search, and Management of Stored Data.

Many storage managers today are essentially required to search for needles in the data haystack. Just ask the IT manager in a financial services firm who must respond quickly to the corporate lawyers with evidence in email messages -- or the hospital records manager who needs to prove compliance with HIPAA. In cases like this, it's clear that what's needed is a structure for stored data that is not only better defined, but also more manageable than ever before.

Designing this structure requires a well-considered strategy, one that can only be formulated by those who thoroughly understand the inner workings of a particular business. Still, new products can help get data organized so that better decisions about it can be made.

This report profiles a small but robust group of startups that have emerged with tools to help storage managers get a handle on their data. These new suppliers are particularly concerned with unstructured data -- in the form of email, Microsoft Office documents, presentations, and other corporate flotsam found in servers, desktops, and laptops.

Established storage vendors are also starting to sit up and take notice of the data management crisis. Many of them already offer some form of help in products designed for archiving and backup, which are cited in the report. Eventually, some major players may start to scope out startups as possible partners or acquisitions. In fact, this trend has already begun with an OEM partnership between Kazeon and Network Appliance.

Private companies covered in this report include Abrevity Inc., Arkivio Inc., Copernic Technologies Inc., Index Engines Inc., Kazeon Inc., KOM Networks Inc., Njini Inc., Scentric Inc., Seven Ten Storage Software Inc., and StoredIQ Corp.

Public companies covered in this report include Autonomy Corp. plc (Pink Sheets: AUTNF; London: AU), EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC), Fast Search & Transfer ASA (Oslo: FAST), Network Appliance Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP), Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC), and Verity Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTY).

Mapping the Labyrinth: Classification, Search, and Management of Stored Data is available as part of an annual subscription (12 monthly issues) to Byte and Switch Insider, priced at $1,350. Individual reports are available for $900.

To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: http://www.byteandswitch.com/insider.

To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details on multi-user licensing options, please contact:

   Jeff Claudino
   Director of Sales
   Insider Research Services
   619-229-9940
   claudino@lightreading.com

  For review copies, members of the media may contact:

   Gabriel Brown
   Chief Analyst
   Insider Research Services
   44-20-7701-9330
   brown@lightreading.com

  About Light Reading

Light Reading Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CMP Media, is a B-to-B network information provider. Light Reading publishes http://www.lightreading.com/, the leading global content site for the telecom industry; http://www.byteandswitch.com/, a storage networking site; and http://www.unstrung.com/, dedicated to wireless networking. Light Reading is also affiliated with http://www.heavyreading.com/, a market research site for quantitative analysis of telecom technology to carriers, service providers, and vendors.

About CMP Media

Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in the technology, healthcare, and lifestyles industries, CMP Media has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight, and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment.

SOURCE: Byte and Switch Insider

CONTACT: For a free executive summary of the report: Jeff Claudino,
Director of Sales, Insider Research Services, +1-619-229-9940,
claudino@lightreading.com; or Media: Gabriel Brown, Chief Analyst, Insider
Research Services, +44-20-7701-9330, brown@lightreading.com

Web site: http://www.byteandswitch.com/insider
http://www.lightreading.com/